The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-06-23

istenCe Of such a law among them.
one by which marriage with one OF
US is looked upon as a deadly sin
against the God whom we both wor-
ship, must strike the majority of US
with sort of overwhelming force.
Mr.. Luska's choice of this theme is
happy inspiration, since the rapid
amalgamation of races and classes,
and the breaking up of old religious
differences, have lett but few situations
III which the souls Of men and women
can be shown as they are torn by the
passions of old beliefs and new needs.
We are tempted to-day by subtletics,
and the curse that is on us is that OF
not having power to discriminate little
shades of difference. Half OF US have
grown superior to Thou Shalt" and
Thou Shalt Not" The old terrors
Of our ancestors are meaningless to us,
even while we are longing fos definite
shapes against which to contend. We
have become Catholic in our tastes and
Catholic in our crccds. We are little
rcgretful though phlosophic when our
old faiths are violated, but nothing
| se al which Mr.. L1ska paints IS
known among us. The real climax Of
the story is reached in the middle of
the book when the marriage of the
Young Hebrew, Elias Bacharach, with
the daughter Of an old Costumer on
Union square is thwarted. This is
also the strongest part Of the tory. 1t
is told with wonderful power. Nothing
like it, with its tempestuous sweep, has
been told in long time. Nor has
anything to equal the figure of that
hard, cruel, remorseless, heaven-in-
spired old rabbi been seen among uS.
The humor of this book is as ire
sistible in its way as is the sweep of its
emotions. The Hebrew reunions at
the Blums' are Incompatible.
"Oh, my daughter,' Mrs, Nor
genthau returned, ''she works like
horse. You never saw such worker.
It's simply fearful! And such good
girl, Mr.. Bacharach. * >; :: She's
grand. She's an angel"'
"You re right there,' put in Mr..
Koch. "Tillie's all wool, from head
to foot. -
"And a yard wide, added Mr. Blum
Mr.. Samuel MintuR. Peclk's secord
collection Of poems is being put into
shape for book publication, the success
of his q Cap and Bells" published last
autumn, warranting the issue of
another bundle Of his stray verses.
Mr.. Peck is still a very young man,
having not yet turned his thirtieth
year. Although the Bellevue Medical
College conferred the degree of NJ. d.,
he has never praCticed medicine, but
follows literature both as a pleasure
and profession. A number of his
songs have been set to music, the most
popular being "a Knot of Blue"
which has been published with mus-
cal setting in both England and this
country. Having a cultivated and
acute ear for harmony Of sound, and
being partial to lyric verse, his writings
are very popular with musicians. His
productions up to this time have all
been songs and the light society verses
50 popular at present, and they have
been copied by the press of every State
in the Union. Mr.. Peck is an extern
sive but not a methodical reader. His
happy style may be attributable to the
fact that he writes, as he expresses it,
only when he feels :" "cheerful and COM
Portable" After he has written, how
ever, he cuts out, transposes, substi
tutes and rearranges with great care.
Mr.. Peck is aifable and pleasant in
manner, and we'll formed in person,
with brown hair and eyes, broad high
forehead, full face, and rather more
color than is usual with a native Of the
South. His work is done at the old
homestead, in a beautiful suburb Of
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he draws
inspiration from the charming South
ern scenery and the bright Southern
sky.
The daughter Of the Confederate
Colonel John S. AIosby is preparing
series of articles which viii tell the
"Adyentures Of a Confederate Boy
Soldier" The facts for the articles
Miss Mosby has secured from a young
soldier who at the age of Is joined her
fathers command, and fought with
him through several battles. The pa
pers will be published through one Of
the prominent magazines.
Adirondack Murray's daughter
is acting as her fathers publisher at
her home in Burlington, Vt. 1t is
Miss Murray's intention to republish
during the coming fall her fathers
famous :. Adirondack Tales" and she
will also bring out volumes from his
pen, one of which is now undergoing
publication. Miss Murray also acts as
agent for her fathers lectures, and all
engagements of that character are made
through her. .Father's work is purely
literary now she writes, land viii
be for the future, with the exception of
delivering some lectures in few Of the
larger cities, commencing in October
next.
Messrs ]. B. Lirpincott Company
announce that they have nearly ready